Cleaning process



Sept. 19, 1933. F. M. HILGERINK 1,927,496 1 CLEANING PRocEss original Filed Mgr-c112, 1932 Patented Sept. 19, 1933 UNITED STATES PATEN T OFFICE" 1 Claim. c1. 87-5,)

, This invention relates to a new and improved process for producing a permanent suspension of oil in water, in the nature of a colloidal suspension, which has special usefulness and value 5 as a cleaning fluid adapted for removing oil,

' water.

grease and dirt from surfaces such as the metallic and other surfaces of locomotives, railway cars, machinery and the like.

This application is a division of applicant's copending application Serial No. 596,233, filed March 2nd. 1932. 1

The invention further contemplates a cleaning process wherein the novel cleaning fluid herein referred tois provided and caused to impinge against the surface to be cleaned whereby deposits or accumulations of oil, grease, dirt and other foreign matter are promptly and efiiciently removed.

The type of oil suspension andthe nature of the cleaning fluid contemplated in this invention will be better understood by referring to United States Patent No. 1,135,001 issued on April 13th, 1915, to Durham and McGuirk, wherein the value of a suspension of finely divided oil particles in water as a cleaning fluid for the purposes herein referred to is set forth. The Durham patent however, provides a method for obtaining an oil suspension which involves the feeding of a relatively small quantity-of oil into a water line which terminates with a spraying nozzle, and, the use of an air blast at the nozzle for ejectment with the oil and water mixture..

proven by years of successful commercial application; The theory of operation as set forth in said patent, and as now understood by those skilled in the art, is based upon what is believed to be an electro-chemical activity of the oil particles when sub-divided to that degree, productive of a permanent or colloidal suspension in The impingement, as when directed from a nozzle under pressure, of such suspension is found to exhibit a remarkable cleaning effect which is greatly in excess of the cleaning effects, acting jointly, provided by, first, the dislodging action of. the stream, and secondly, the washing and dissolving eifects of the oil and water. Apparently the oil particles possess a marked afflnity for the particles of foreign matter with the resultthat the washing and dislodging effects are greatly multiplied in producing the unusual and effective cleaning. action.

The commercial application of this type of cleaning fluid, up to the present time, has .involved the use of a blast of air, introduced into the hot mixture of oil and water at the location of the nozzle in substantially the manner described in the Durham patent above referred to. efiectedhave been highly successful in commercial applications, particularly-in view of the improved results realized over the prior practice of washing, hand scrubbing and the like. However, the uses for this type of cleaning process have so increased and the necessity for greater efiiciency has become so importantthe present invention has been developed as a marked improvement over the processes and apparatus heretofore known and used.

This method and apparatus by which it was at the point of introduction than has been pos- 'heating of the oil prior to its introduction into the water stream whereby an entirely new and unexpected feeding action results. The heating of the oil to approximately the temperature of the water as contemplated in this invention is found to cause the oil to appear to approach the vapor phase and in so doing, to exhibit an entirely novel feeding action. Under these circumstances, the oil, when ejected from the nozzle of the control valveenters the water stream in the form of a mist'which is highly suggestive of the action of a gas. This characteristic behavior is repre sented in Figure 3 of the drawing.

times The individual oil particles are many smaller than those obtained by oil feeding mechanisms of, prior art cleaning devices of this type.

It should be understood that the feeding mechmay produce mechanical agitation or to utilize compressed air at the nozzle to agitate and further mix the suspension 'just prior to ejectment.

The action here described is obtainable with any of a large number of different types of oils. The only restriction isthat the oil must be a freely flowing oil and it is preferred although not absolutely necessary, that the oil be a mineral oil having a parafine base.

It should be realized that this invention possesses special advantages in that 'the expense and trouble of providing and using compressed air may be dispensed with.

These and other objects not specifically enumerated are contemplated for the present invention as will readily appear to one skilled in the art as the following description proceeds.

The present invention utilizes the discovery that an improved cleaning fluid may be provided and a highly permanent or colloidal suspension of oil in water may be obtained with the elimination of the blast of air formerly employed, if a greater degree of subdivision of the oil is effected during the oil feeding and introducing operation as when the oil is fed into the water line while hot.

This invention is therefore productive of the highly improved results flowing from a greater subdivision of the oil at the point of entering the water stream. This invention contemplates the use of hot oil as distinguished from oil at ordinary temperatures as formerly employed.

In the present disclosure, the heating is accomplished by causing the hot water supply pipe to pass through the oil tank so that as here disclosed, the oil feed to the water line will be at a temperature equal to substantially that of the water. Whereas it would be expected that the heating of the oil would have the utility of lowering the viscosity of the oil, and would serve in winter, to establish an operation substantially like that of summer, it has been found that an entirely new and unexpected feeding action results. Instead of the oil entering the water line in minute globules such as occasioned when fed from old types of apparatus, it enters as what appears to be a fan-shaped mist of infinitesimal individual and separated particles, of size almost imperceptible to the naked eye, except collectively.

It is estimated that the oil particles are from one-fiftieth to one hundredth the size of particles formerly obtained. It is believed that this action is attributable to the fact that the oil at the higher temperature has approached the vapor phase and in this condition of existence is subject to an entirely difierent behavior upon entering the water stream.

With this in mind, it will be appreciated that the desired colloidal suspension may be readily obtained with greater ease and less expense and.

that the invention eliminates the necessity for using air at the nozzle and therefore is adapted for-use in connection with an ordinary nozzle or mechanical agitating means at. the location of the nozzle.

The nature of the invention may be more readily understood by referring to the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is an elevational view of an apparatus constructed in accordance with this invention;

Figure-2 is an enlarged view taken through the I sight gauge of the apparatus showing a characteristic feeding action with unheated oil in accordance with practice prior to this invention and Figure 3 is an enlarged view similar to Figure 2 showing the feeding action resulting from this invention for exactly the same apparatus and adjustmen't of the valve except for the heating of the oil.

By referring to the drawing it will be noted that he apparatus disclosed comprises an oil tank 10 adapted to .contain oil which may be introduced through a funnel controlled by the valve 12. In the filling operation, the tank may be vented at the top by means of a valve 13, which controls a communicating passage between the upper portion of the tank and the external atmosphere. The tank is preferably provided with eight gauges 14, arranged to indicate the oil level throughout substantially the entire height of the tank. It is of course obvious that a single sight gauge may be provided to replace the two sight gauges arranged as here shown.

In connection with the tank, a supply of hot water under pressure is provided from any suitable source but which is directed through a pipe 115 which enters the lower portion of tank 10 as shown in Figure 1. Just before entering the tank it is preferable to provide a valve for controlling the supply of water. Pipe passes to the central portion of the tank and is then directed upwardly to a point near the top thereof and thence outwardly and downwardly to connect on the outside of the tank with pipe 15.

A portion of the water supplied in the line 15 is directed downwardly through a pipe 16, the passage in which may be controlled by the valve 17, and then through pipes 18 and 19 past the ball check valve 20, and into the base of the tank. The water thus introduced may be regulated as to'the quantity and upon entering the tank, acts to displace the oil upwardly in a manner to force the oil into the upwardly extending chamber 21, at the top of the tank and downwardly through the centrally disposed oil feed pipe 22.

The oil feed pipe 22 penetrates the wall of the tank at a suitable location such as at 23, and then at will, the seatingpressure of the valve. A pres- 1 sure gauge 33 is preferably'provided in communication with pipeline portion 29'by means of a connecting pipe 34. The lower end of pipe line portion 29 extends to and is connected with the pipe line 35 which leads to a location in convenient proximity to the place where the cleaning operations are performed. Inasmuch as one oil tank and its accompanying oil feeding mechanism is, under ordinary practice, sufficient to supply cleaning fluid to a plurality of nozzles it will be usual to extend pipe line 35 sufficiently to enable the connection of a number of take-off pipes or hoses 36; corresponding to the number of nozzles to be used. As the nozzles will be duplicates of each other in construction and in the manner of connecting with pipe line 35, only one is here shown, which will be understood to be representative of any desired number or type which can be conveniently supplied from one tank and oil feeding mechanism. I

This invention constitutes an improvement over prior processes and apparatus in that it is productive of a positive oil feed into the ,water line subject to the minute control, and a greater sub-division of the oil in the water resulting in a more thorough mixture of. oil and water in the water line.

Referring now particularly to Figures 2 and 3, the marked difference in the feeding action. will be noted, and from Figure 3, it will be observed I of oil feed opening has been that the heating of the oil is productive of a fan-like stream of minute particles which are many times smaller than the globules produced with unheated oil.

It will be seen from Figure 3 that the oil enters the sight gauge by passage through a nozzle or jet 50 which is provided with a relatively small oriflce 51.

In actual performance, the difierence in the particle size is even greater than here represented as the size of the particles in Figure 3 have been exaggerated for the purpose of illustration,

In operation, it is preferable to employ water under pressure at a temperature of approximately between 130 and 160 degrees F. However, the same advantageous feeding action results with a water and oil temperature as low as 110 to 120 degrees F.

The process involves the utilization of hot oil for the production of the result above pointed out.

The size of the oil feed jet or nozzle is selected oil jet is subject to regulation to influence the 1 quantity of oil feed which is determined jointly by the adjustment of the oil feed opening and the oil drawing action of the stream of water in the water line. An increased demand on the water line, such as is effective by opening additional cleaning nozzles, will cause an increased flow of oil in proportion to the increased volume of water passing through the apparatus. The exact size of the oil feed opening can best be determined by experiment because some variation may be desirable for different operating temperatures and for difl'erent oils difl'erent viscosities.

However, purely by way of example, successful results have been obtained by employing an oil feed opening ofsize between approximately one fiftieth to one sixty-fourth of an urchin diameter. In practice'the above mentioned size successfully used with thirty-two to thirty-six gravity paraffin base mineral oil having a flash point of between substantially 195 F. to 210 F. and under an operating pressure in the system of substantially 140 lbs. per square inch and at a water line temperature of 'betweensubstantially 120 F. to 160 F. In such usethe oil feed is adjusted to supply approximately one part of oil by volume to approximately 100 parts of water.

The oil feed pressure in the above use is extremely slight because the oil displacing pressure is substantially the same as the pressure in the water line at the point where the oil is introduced, except, however, for the slight posi? tive oil feeding pressure as established by theadjustable valve 30 shown in the drawing. This pressure condition in practice, by way of example, is considerably less than one pound and is only suflicient to provide a action in a manner to give greater accuracyiand control to the oil feeding adjustment but thout, however, disturbing the variable oil fe ding positive oil feeding action which is automatically effected by the drawing action of the variable quantities oi water having widely passing through the water line in response to the demand thereon, as when dfierent numbers of cleaning nozzles are being used.

Without limiting the invention, but merely for the purpose of offering apossible explanation and theory for the operation of this process, it is be-, lieved that the permanent colloidal suspension is produced in two steps somewhat as follows: First, the oil, by virtue of its temperature resulting from the previous heating thereof, enters the water system in such condition that it passes immediately into the water medium away from the neighborhood of the oil feed opening in a flnely divided mist-like state with each minute particle thereof separate and independent and without coalescence such as would form larger oil particles or mass in the form of drops or a continuous oil stream; secondly, after such aminitial sub-division of the oil is effected by the previous heating thereof, the oil in the flnely sub-dividedmist-like state is further sub-divided'upon entering. the water stream in the main water line. Apparently the initial sub-division resulting from the pre-heating of the oil is not in all probability a permanent colloidal suspension but this initial sub-division renders the mixture susceptible to variation to a permanent colloidal suspension under the agitating efiect of the water stream.

As distinguished from the action of this invention, cold oil upon entering the water system, 1 5 coalesces and forms drops or a continuous stream of oil which is incapable of variation to a permanent colloidal suspension by the agitating action of the water stream. Accordingly, the distinguishing feature which characterizes this in- 11 vention involves theprevious heatingand feeding of the oil to elfect the initial subdivision to a mist-like form of the oil upon entering the water stream and thereafter causing the oil so sub-divided to be picked up by the water stream for the production of the desired colloidal sus-' pension of oil in water.

As above pointed out, the invention has special usefulness in that the use of compressed air is entirely dispensed. Obviously however, the advantages of the improved feeding action, resulting in a much greater subdivision of oil, are applicable to any suitable form of apparatus.

I claim:

In a process of cleaning involving the forceful impingement, against the surface to be cleaned, of a'permanent colloidal suspension of oil in water, the production of said permanent colloidal suspension by. providing a stream of hot water at a temperature above substantially 100 F. and under a pr suitable for the desired cleaning action, pro ding a body ofhot freely flowing oil at a temperature substantially equal to the temperature of said stream of water, feeding a relatively small quantity of said oil, as compared to the volume of water, into said water stream through a relatively minute orifice and under a slight positive feeding pressure and so as to cause said oil under the influence of its temperature and the temperature of said water to exist in said water in a finely divided mist-like state substantially free from coalescence, and thereafter causing said oil so introduced to be picked up by said water stream and thereby con- 5 verting said oil and water into a permanent 001- 14 lo'ldal suspension of oil in water. 

